Bumpy Johnson

Ellsworth Raymond "Bumpy" Johnson (31 October 1905-7 July 1968) was an African-American mob boss and bookmaker in New York City's Harlem neighborhood. He was the main Harlem associate of the Gambino crime family, and his death in 1968 led to Frank Lucas taking over his organization.

Biography
Ellsworth Raymond Johnson was born in Charleston, South Carolina on 31 October 1905, and he was sent to live with his older sister in Harlem, New York City in 1919 due to his short temper and insolence towards whites. At a young age, he sold newspapers, swept floors, shot craps, and shot pool, and he later charged local stores protection money. After the murder of Dutch Schultz and Lucky Luciano's takeover of Schultz's rackets, Johnson paid tribute to the American Mafia and maintained his own gambling operation. He was soon the toast of Harlem, as he won respect among the African-American community for cutting a deal with the American Mafia. Johnson became the de facto crime boss of Harlem, and he was sentenced to fifteen years in prison in 1951 for selling heroin. In 1963, he was released from Alcatraz, and he was greeted with an impromptu parade in Harlem. Johnson was arrested over 40 times, and he was under a federal indictment for drug conspiracy when he died of congestive heart failure in 1968 while at a large store. Frank Lucas succeeded him as the boss of Harlem.